The subject matter disclosed herein relates to modular sensor assemblies and, more particularly, to electronic packaging techniques for improving imaging sensor failure robustness.
Imaging sensor components, such as found in a computed tomography (CT) imaging system, for example, may utilize an x-ray source and x-ray detectors to scan a patient or other target. The x-ray detector typically includes an array of x-ray sensors used to read signals from the x-ray source. The image data obtained via the x-ray detectors may subsequently be used to construct cross-sectional images of the patient from the scanning operation.
As shown diagrammatically in FIG. 1, an x-ray detector 10 may comprise a plurality of x-ray sensors 18 grouped into x-ray sensor arrays 12, 14, and 16. Each x-ray sensor 18 may output an imaging signal, such as analog signal 32, to a respective analog-to-digital converter (ADC) for conversion to a digital signal, where the ADC may be fabricated as part of an integrated circuit (IC), such as IC 22, IC 24, and IC 26. As a single IC die may provide a plurality of analog-to-digital channels, the CT imaging system may thus include thousands of ICs to provide tens of thousands of sensor channels. As can be appreciated, the large number of ICs increases the probability that a random channel, such as channel 34, may fail, or that one of the ICs may fail.
Should a single channel of an IC fail, or an entire IC fail, there is little potential for recovery and/or correction without a better hardware design than shown in FIG. 1. What is needed is a sensor array capable of providing some recovery and/or correction when an imaging channel or an integrated circuit fails.